Phylicia’s new role is no Claire Huxtable

Since the early ’90s many have wished Phylicia Rashad’s return to network television after starring for eight seasons as America’s favorite mom, Claire Huxtable, on "The Cosby Show."

Now she is back on a new NBC primetime series called “Do No Harm” which debuts Thursday at 10 p.m. The Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde style series co-stars Phylicia as Dr. Vanessa Young, a no-nonsense chief medical officer whose star neurosurgeon suffers from a dangerous split personality disorder.

"She’s smart; she’s savvy; she’s no-nonsense," said Phylicia of her character adding, “I run a tight ship, at least I try.”

As the season unfolds, viewers will see Phylicia’s character is less in control of her personal life than she is of her professional one which is completely opposite of her role as Clair Huxtable, the smart and sophisticated lawyer and mother of five.

"I wasn’t thinking of returning to television but when I read David Schulner’s script for “Do No Harm,” that pilot script was so well-written, I thought, ‘Not only can I do this, I want to do this,’" she said.

While "Cosby" fans remember Phylicia as being as close to the perfect mom as anyone has ever imagined, she admitted she didn’t always know she was the beautiful woman America now loves.

"When I gave birth to my son. That was when I really knew that I was beautiful," she told EURweb.

"Loving oneself, isn’t hard, when you understand who and what yourself is,” said Rashad. “It has nothing to do with, the shape of your face, the size of your eyes, the length of your hair or the quality of your clothes. It’s so beyond all of those things and it’s what gives life to everything about you. Your own self is such a treasure. You have to sit kind of quietly and ask, Who am I? Who am I really? Be prepared to wait. When you understand who and what yourself is, loving yourself is the easiest thing there is to do.”

Get a preview of "Do No Harm" below.

—Kimberly Natasha

Will you watch Phylicia in "Do No Harm," or do you prefer to just remember her as Mrs. Huxtable? Leave your comments below.